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are halfway towards your fibre intake. You can get the rest of your fibre from complex carbohydrates. It’s best to avoid large portions of bran, which act too fast and prevent you from absorbing vital nutrients.

      Why?

      Fibre is important if you have PCOS because it slows the conversion of carbohydrates into blood-sugar, thus helping maintain blood-sugar balance. It ensures that digestion is healthy, fat absorption is controlled, toxins are removed from the body, energy is released, stools are well formed and waste can pass through at a steady rate, preventing the build-up of hormones and toxins in the gut, from where they can be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Moreover, fibre binds to excess cholesterol and oestrogens and escorts them from the body. An adequate fibre intake also ensures that you get that full-up feeling after you have eaten – great to help you stop snacking and overeating.

      If you don’t eat enough fibre, PCOS symptoms like weight gain, raised cholesterol, blood-sugar problems and excess testosterone and oestrogen are likely to get worse.

      How?

      You can get fibre in wholegrain cereals, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables or fibre supplements.

      Only 30 to 50 g is needed; a diet rich in plant fibre easily supplies this. Drink plenty of fluid for the fibre to absorb to help it pass through your digestive system.

      Fibre comes in two major sources, both essential for women with PCOS: soluble fibre, like oatmeal, dissolves in water and becomes soft and gel-like. This type of fibre slows down glucose absorption after a meal, keeping blood-sugar on an even keel. Soluble fibre also helps lower cholesterol. Insoluble fibre, like vegetables and bran, is dense and chewy, does not absorb water and stimulates movements in the intestines, thus preventing constipation. Insoluble fibre helps prevent diabetes, colon cancer and heart disease.

      Research supports the idea of eating a high-fibre diet, especially for people with blood-sugar problems. Dr James Anderson at the University of Kentucky showed that diabetes control is greatly enhanced by eating a high-fibre diet. People with Type II diabetes in his study ate a diet composed of wholegrain cereal, vegetables and legumes in which not more than 25 per cent of the daily intake came from fat and 60 per cent came from carbohydrates. They also ate 50 g of fibre a day. After only a few weeks on the diet many people experienced better glucose control and were able to cut back on their medication.

      Pectin, a type of fibre found in fruit and some vegetables, like carrots, along with fibre from legumes (such as beans and peas), oatmeal and barley, lowered the blood glucose response and insulin drive after a carbohydrate-rich meal. A study in the medical journal the Lancet showed that people with Type II diabetes who ate a cup and a half of legumes a day for six weeks had a 15 per cent reduction in fasting blood-glucose levels, as well as a 15 per cent reduction in their serum cholesterol levels.

      Another reason to make fibre-rich fruits and vegetables and wholegrains the foundation stones of your diet: you get your healthy low-GI complex carbs and fibre all in one go.

      If you aren’t used to a high-fibre diet, you need to introduce more fibre slowly to give your bowels time to adapt. Don’t be surprised if your stools look bulkier the more fibre you eat.

      

       After two years of skipping periods, starting to get excess facial hair and being so overweight, I decided I had to go to the doctor. She saw my facial hair and I told her I didn’t have periods any more and she said she thought I may have PCOS. I was like ‘Huh?!?’ She told me I was insulin resistant and sent me to a diabetes centre to learn about diet. Basic stuff really about eating little and often, making sure you get all your nutrients, increasing your fibre intake and watching that you don’t eat foods which trigger blood-sugar problems. I made some changes to my diet and started a gentle walking programme. The first week or so I nearly gave up. I thought something was wrong. I needed the restroom several times a day, but the dietician told me that this was just my digestive system adjusting and it would clear up soon. She was right. It did.

       When I went back to the doctor after 6 weeks I knew I had lost some weight and I was feeling better, but I never suspected how good the news would be. In 6 weeks I had lost 35 pounds! And six months later not only had I continued to lose weight, reaching my target weight, but my periods had returned. Today I’m doing fine. I still get the occasional blip if I don’t take care of myself, but I know what to do. I sometimes feel sorry for myself that I have to be so disciplined, but then I remind myself of how good it feels to be healthy and not be ashamed of the way I look.

      Linda, 39

      5) Eat Good-quality Protein with Every Meal

      Eat two to five portions of protein each day, which should include some vegetable sources such as beans, lentils and tofu. Include protein such as dairy products, lean meat (chicken, turkey), eggs, tofu, soya milk, pulses (beans, lentils – also an excellent source of fibre), nuts and/or seeds with every meal. One portion is about 3 oz of cooked meat or fish (which is about the size of a deck of cards), one egg or half a cup of beans.

      Why?

      Protein helps maintain blood-sugar balance and gives your body an even supply of the amino acids it needs to build and repair cells and manufacture hormones and brain chemicals. Since your body can’t store amino acids, as it does carbohydrates and fat, you need a constant supply of them. That’s why you need to eat some high-quality protein with every meal.

      The amino acids are called ‘the building blocks of life’ because the body uses them to rebuild and repair its tissues and organs. If water were removed from your body, more than half of its dry weight would be protein. Your skin, hair, nails, muscles, metabolic enzymes, neurotransmitters and, most importantly for PCOS, your hormones are all composed of protein.

      Proteins perform many life-enhancing functions inside our bodies. It’s also worth remembering that proteins, like fats, have a stabilizing effect on blood-sugar, producing steady, long-term energy instead of a short burst followed by a quick let-down. Eating complete proteins in the form of fish, poultry, lean meat, low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, soy and whey stimulates the production of the pancreatic hormone glucagon. Glucagon performs the opposite role to insulin: it helps to mobilize stored fat for use as a fuel source, thus keeping insulin levels lower.

      And finally, without a reasonable amount of protein to rebuild your muscles it is not possible to increase your muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolic rate, because muscles burn more calories, even when you don’t do any exercise, than any other tissue. The faster your metabolic rate, the easier it is for you to lose weight and manage your symptoms.

      How?

      The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein for sedentary individuals is 0.75 g per kilogram of body weight. However, for those who are trying to get fit and develop their muscles, this may not be enough. Everyone’s individual requirement will vary – a dietician can advise you on this.

      Good sources of protein which are low in unhealthy fats include chicken, turkey breast and oily fish. Try to eat plain, live yogurt – preferably daily (if you have a cow’s milk allergy, try other sources – soya, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk) – as it contains beneficial bacteria that populate the gut and support your digestion.

      

       A Word about Soy

       Soy protein in the form of tofu (bean curd, usually sold in blocks) and soy milk are vegetarian protein sources. However, some women find that soy foods produce allergic reactions such as a rapid heart rate and rashes. If you are sensitive to soy you can derive the benefits from supplements or pills rather than the food itself. Excess soy can also upset your body’s mineral balance, leading to problems like panic attacks and hair loss. So don’t use soy as your only source of protein. Once again, moderation is key.

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